Daily Archives: May 3, 2011

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Buying anything used, whether it’s a car or fitness equipment, can be a little stressful if you don’t know what to look out for. The reasons why people look into buying anything used is that they are looking for a bargain, but if you’ve bought something that doesn’t work then you’ve actually wasted your money. If you’re trying to get back into shape, you can literally save yourself hundreds of dollars when you buy second hand gym equipment for your home gym.

You can’t put a price tag on a healthy lifestyle, but money shouldn’t be a reason why you’re not going to work out. Before you look for cheap home gym equipment, you need to do your research and figure out what your fitness goals are. Different people have different goals, so you need to figure out what is it that you want to get out from working out. Some people are looking to lose weight and burn fat. In this case, you would want to look into buying aerobics machines such as treadmills, elliptical, etc. For those looking to gain muscle mass, you would want to look into heavy weights such as an Olympic bench, kettle bell, dumbbells, etc.

Here are some important questions to ask the seller:

How old is the machine? – Ask the seller how old the machine is because you can do a price comparison online if someone else is selling the same model.

Is there a warranty on it still?– Sometimes you can buy used gym equipment online with the manufacturer’s warranty still, which gives you a piece of mind.

Can I turn it on and give it a try? – If there are moving parts powered by electricity as in a treadmill, you should always turn it on and give it a try.

Why are you selling it? – This is a great question to ask because the seller might be selling it because he no longer has time to work out, some parts are missing, or it might need some repair.

Whether you are working out to lose weight or simply to be healthier, it is sometimes hard to create results. This problem can be a product of slow metabolism, not enough workouts, or even too many workouts! However, the “no result” problem can be combated but will take time. There are numerous tactics you can use in order to see the effects of exercise.

First of all, it’s necessary to understand that just because you work out regularly doesn’t mean your body can handle unhealthy food. Of course you are burning extra calories but if you are expecting to see weight loss or larger muscles, you have to have a healthy diet. Protein and carbohydrates are two specific nutrients that you absolutely need if you’re going to exercise. Without them, your body will not have enough energy to do what it needs to do, like burn calories and build muscles. Lean meats and whole grains are where you should be obtaining these nutrients from.

Results will appear quicker if you work out at high intensities for a short amount of time. 30-40 minutes is the perfect amount of time to exercise. Working out at a high intensity after building up endurance will benefit your body because more calories will burn, muscles will be worked harder, and your endurance will continue to increase. However, if you are looking to mainly burn fat, low intensity work outs may work the best. At high intensities your body is mainly burning carbohydrates where as fat is burned during low intensity work outs.

You will not see results if you don’t keep yourself hydrated. Water is essential in everyone’s diet, especially when they exercise. If you think drinking 8 cups of water before a work out will work, you’re wrong. It takes a while for the body to actually absorb the water (into your muscles, for example!) and will not benefit you immediately before a work out.

Try to fit strength training into your work out routines. Cardio does help increase muscle mass, but not as much as strength training does. Every time you lift weights, aim to increase the pounds you lift even if it’s just a few pounds. If you’re lifting the same amount over and over again, your muscles will get used to it and will stop changing eventually. Lifting weights also burns calories, especially if you lift them after a cardio work out!

In many instances, people quit working out. They get bored, don’t have enough time, or lose motivation because they just aren’t seeing results. To avoid boredom, switch your work outs. Go on a walk/run outside one day and use an elliptical machine the next. Take a class at your local gym or invest in some work out videos that you can do in your own home. Experiment with biking, rollerblades, skateboards, jump ropes—anything you can find! Try out a sport like basketball, soccer, baseball or football. There are many, many options for exercise. It is extremely hard to fit exercise in a busy schedule, especially when you are tired. To combat this, think about your schedule at the beginning of each week. Write down any possible open time that you can exercise, even if it’s only for 20 minutes. This will help you plan and stick to your routine if you tell yourself ahead of time that you’re going to do it. If being tired is a problem, think of how you’re going to feel post-workout. If you want to quit because of a lack of results, don’t give up! It does take time, and if you are doing everything right then you will see the effects sooner or later.

Brianna Elliott is a student at the University of Wisconsin – Stout and a regular contributor at ProbioticSmart.com and PSCLife.com – a leading retailer of ThreeLac and Align Digestive Care.

Asian readers of Tim Ferriss’ Four Hour Body book were far from surprised by the emphasis on the use of natural herbal supplements, to maximize the potential effectiveness of the slow carb diet. After all, Eastern cultures have been pioneers of herbal and natural health wisdom for many thousands of years. Knowledge of this area has traditionally flowed from East to West – with purveyors of Traditional Chinese Medicine and ancient healing techniques traveling to distant parts of Europe and the New World to share their wisdom and remedies… now, in a very holistic symmetry, there is a herbal discovery making its way from West to East, by USPS First Class mail.

The PAGG stack supplement is the unique combination of Policosanol, Alpha-lipoic acid, aged Garlic extract blended with Green tea flavanols (ECGC), which Ferriss spent more than10 years refining before launching the formula in his latest book. It was bound to appeal specifically to readers in Asia – not least because of their appreciation of the unique approach of stacking ingredients together. All of the substances have their own well-documented uses in digestion and weight control, but it is when taken simultaneously that their effect is magnified synergistically, giving rise to a combined effect that is considerably greater than the sum of the parts involved.

However, until recently, this ‘stack’ effect has been difficult to optimize in Asia, because of the lack of availability of a prepared combined supplement. Creating one’s own combination using different brands of capsules, tablets and herbs has always been a tricky business – getting the doses right to Ferriss’ precisely-refined recommendation is hard enough, not to mention the quality issues (such as using the biologically-active R-ALA, instead of the cheaper racemic mixture. There are absorption issues to consider too, because the effect of the stack is optimized when the ingredients are released and digested completely simultaneously… Even in a culture knowledgeable and experienced with herbal supplements, there are a lot of complex and expensive things to get right with PAGG.

Great news then for Asian Four Hour Body fans, that Pareto Nutrition are now shipping their high-quality combined PAGG stack supplement directly to users in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, China and Singapore. Offering the best quality ingredients in their iconic red and blue capsules (which don’t just look cool, but also preserve the volatile ingredients in perfect condition), Pareto are also offering FREE international shipping for a limited time. With delivery rates of 10-12 days being achieved without customs hold-ups, happy clients across Asia are quickly getting used to the weight-loss edge the PAGG stack supplement supplies, and achieving their body recomposition goals with greater speed and reduced effort.